John Wells
| position=Executive producer, writer and show runner | IMDB=0920274 }} John Wells - born John Marcum Wells on in Alexandria, Virginia, USA - is a screen writer, producer and director. He is the show runner and an executive producer of SouthLAnd. He is best known for his role as executive producer and show runner of the television series ER, Third Watch, and The West Wing. His company, John Wells Productions, is currently based at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California. Wells is also a labor leader, and was elected president of the Writers Guild of America, West in 2009, after serving a prior term in that office from 1999–2001. Biography Early life Wells was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Marjorie Elizabeth (née Risberg) and Llewellyn Wallace Wells, Jr., an Episcopalian minister. He graduated from the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) School of Drama in 1979. A studio theatre at CMU bears his name. While at CMU, he was one of the earliest actors to work at City Theatre, a prominent fixture of Pittsburgh theatre. Earlier career Wells was a producer on the 1987 film Nice Girls Don't Explode. He began writing for television with an episode of CBS Summer Playhouse entitled "Roughhouse" in 1988. He was hired as a producer for the second season of ABC drama series China Beach in 1988. The show was created by John Sacret Young and William Broyles, Jr. and focused on combat medics in the Vietnam war. Wells wrote five episodes for the first season – "X-Mas Chn. Bch. VN, '67", "Tet '68", "Vets" and both parts of the two part season finale "The World". He was promoted to supervising producer for the third season of China Beach in 1989. He wrote three further episodes for the third season – "Dear China Beach", "Magic", and "The Thanks of a Grateful Nation". He returned as a co-executive producer for the fourth and final season in 1990. He was involved in writing ten further episodes. He co-wrote the story for the season premiere with Sacret Young, Carol Flint and Lydia Woodward and wrote the teleplay himself. He worked with the same team to develop the story for the second episode "She Sells More Than Sea Shells", the third episode "You, Babe", the fourth episode "Escape", the fifth episode "Fever", the sixth episode "Juice", the seventh episode "One Giant Leap" and the eighth episode "One Small Step". He co-wrote the fourteenth episode "Rewind" with Flint. He co-wrote the teleplay and co-wrote the story for the series finale "Hello Goodbye" along with Sacret Young. Wells wrote sixteen episodes of the series in total. He frequently worked with producer/director Mimi Leder on China Beach and she helmed six of the episodes he wrote. China Beach also marked the start of Wells working relationship with casting director John Frank Levey, editors Randy Jon Morgan and Jacque Toberen and directors Rod Holcomb and Fred Gerber. Wells worked on two television films in 1992 Angel Street and The Nightman. Wells co-wrote and was the co-executive producer of The Nightman. The film was directed by Charles Haid and is about a young man moving into a hotel run by a mother and daughter. Wells helped to adapt the teleplay from the radio drama by Lucille Fletcher. Angel Street was written and executive produced by Wells. It reunited him with several China Beach crew members including director Rod Holcomb, editor Jacque Toberen, and casting director John Frank Levey. The telefilm was followed by a series on which Wells again worked as an executive producer. Wells also wrote the screenplay for Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story, the project was produced in 1996 and starred Martin Sheen and Moira Kelly. In 1994 Wells was hired as an executive producer for the pilot of NBC medical drama ER. The show was created by novelist Michael Crichton. The pilot episode was directed by frequent Wells collaborator Rod Holcomb and John Frank Levey was involved as a casting director. The pilot was edited by frequent China Beach editor Randy Jon Morgan. Wells became the show runner and head writer for the ongoing series that followed the pilot. He was credited as an executive producer for all fifteen seasons of the series and served as the show runner for the first six seasons. He hired China Beach writer Lydia Woodward as a supervising producer and writer. China Beach director Mimi Leder also became a supervising producer and regular director. ER marked the start of Wells longstanding collaboration with producer/director Christopher Chulack and music composer Martin Davich. Wells wrote five episodes of the first season including the second episode "Day One", "Chicago Heat", "Feb 5 1995", "The Birthday Party", and the season finale "Everything Old Is New Again". Wells and the producers were nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1995 ceremony for their work on the first season. The season was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards and won 8 in total. Wells and Michael Crichton won a Producers Guild of America Award at the 1994 ceremony. Wells and Crichton also received an honorable mention at the Wise Owl Awards in the Television and Theatrical Film Fiction category. Wells remained show runner for the second season in 1995. He hired his China Beach colleague Carol Flint as a co-executive producer for the second season. Wells wrote four more episodes for the second season – the season premiere "Welcome Back, Carter!", "Dead of Winter", "The Healers", and the season finale "John Carter MD". Wells and the producers won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1996 ceremony for their work on the second season. Wells was also nominated for a Humanitas Prize (in the 60 minute category) and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the episode "The Healers". Also in 1995 Wells executive produced the pilot Mystery Dance. The series starred ER cast member William H. Macy. It was not ordered to series. Wells remained the head writer for the third season of ER in 1996 and wrote the season premiere "Doctor Carter, I Presume", "Faith", and the season finale "One More For The Road". Wells and the producers were nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1997 ceremony for their work on the third season. Wells was again nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the episode "Faith". He continued in the same capacity for the fourth season of ER in 1997 and wrote two further episodes "Fathers and Sons", and "Carter's Choice". Wells also made his television directing debut with his screenplay "Carter's Choice". Wells and the producers were nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1998 ceremony for their work on the fourth season. Also in 1997 he served as a co-executive producer for Mimi Leder's film The Peacemaker starring ER cast member George Clooney. Wells returned as head writer for the fifth season of ER in 1998. He wrote both parts of the two part episode "The Storm" and also directed the first part. Wells and the producers were once again nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1999 ceremony for their work on the fifth season. Wells stood down as show runner after the fifth season but remained an executive producer and major creative force behind the series. Wells Productions also produced Trinity in 1998, a short lived NBC family drama focusing on an Irish-American family in Hell's Kitchen. Wells served as an executive producer and writer for the series but it was cancelled after only nine episodes due to low ratings. The series won an Emmy Award for composer Martin Davich's music. Davich also worked on ER. The show starred John Spencer, Tate Donovan and Kim Raver. It also featured Third Watch actors Bobby Cannavale, Skipp Sudduth, and Molly Price. In the 1999–2000 TV season his company Wells productions launched two new series The West Wing and Third Watch. Wells co-created Third Watch with ex-Chicago police officer Edward Allen Bernero. Wells worked as show runner on Third Watch for its first three seasons and served as an executive producer throughout its six season run. The series focused on emergency services workers across a single shift in New York. It starred Kim Raver, Bobby Cannavale, Skipp Sudduth, and Molly Price. The first season began in 1999. Wells and Bernero co-wrote the pilot episode "Welcome to Camelot". Wells also wrote the first season episodes "Sunny, Like Sunshine", "This Band of Brothers", "Spring Forward, Fall Back", and the first season finale "Young Men and Fire". Woodward took over as show runner of ER for the sixth season but Wells wrote "The Peace of Wild Things" and wrote and directed "Such Sweet Sorrow". Wells and the producers were once again nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2000 ceremony for their work on the sixth season but lost out to Wells' other show The West Wing. Wells was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for his work on "Such Sweet Sorrow". He was also nominated for the 2000 PGA Vision Award for his work on ER, Third Watch and The West Wing. In the 2000-2001 television season Wells was an executive producer for the second season of Third Watch, the second season of The West Wing and the seventh season of ER. He was the show runner for the second season of Third Watch and wrote four episodes - the premiere enitled "The Lost", "Faith", "Requiem for a Bantamweight", and the finale "...and Zeus Wept". Wells directed the second season episode "True Love". Wells continued to write for the seventh season of ER and contributed two episodes "The Visit", and "A Walk in the Woods". Wells was nominated for a Humanitas Prize for his work on "A Walk in the Woods". Wells and the producers were once again nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2001 ceremony for their work on the seventh season and were again beaten by Wells' other series The West Wing. Also in 2001 Wells was an executive producer for the film Grey Zone. The film was about the Auschwitz concentration camp. In the 2001-2002 television season Wells was an executive producer for the third season of Third Watch, the third season of The West Wing, the eighth season of ER and new series Citizen Baines. He was the show runner for the third season of Third Watch and wrote a further four episodes – "September Tenth", "After Time", "Adam 55-3", and "Two Hundred and Thirty-Three Days". Bernero took over as show runner after the third season and Wells remained attached as an executive producer until Third Watch ended in 2005 but did not write any more episodes. For the eighth season of ER Wells wrote the episode "Secrets and Lies" and the penultimate episode "On the Beach" which featured the departure of longterm cast member Anthony Edwards. Wells was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for his work on "On the Beach" at the 2002 ceremony. He was also nominated for a further Humanitas Prize and a Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award at the 2003 ceremony for the episode. Citizen Baines was created by Woodward and starred James Cromwell as Elliot Baines, a former three-term U.S. Senator who loses a re-election for the senate and goes back home to Seattle to re-establish his relationships with his three grown daughters. Scheduled on CBS on Saturdays following Touched by an Angel, the series ranked #90 (the lowest rank for a regularly scheduled series on one of the Big Four networks), and averaged 8.2 million viewers. Due to the low ratings, CBS canceled the series in October 2001 after six of the nine episodes produced were aired. In 2002 he was an executive producer for the films One Hour Photo and Far From Heaven and a producer for the films The Good Thief and White Oleander. In the 2002-2003 television season Wells was an executive producer for the fourth season of Third Watch, the fourth season of The West Wing, the ninth season of ER and new series Presidio Med. For the ninth season of ER Wells wrote the final episode "Kisangani". The episode was set in Africa and followed the characters of John Carter and Luka Kovač. Presidio Med centered on a San Francisco hospital and was co-created by Wells and Woodward. It aired on CBS and was cancelled after fourteen episodes. Wells also executive produced the television feature The Big Time, written by Carol Flint. In 2003 he was an executive producer for the films Party Monster, Camp and The Company. In the 2003-2004 television season Wells remained an executive producer for the fifth season of Third Watch, the fifth season of The West Wing and the tenth season of ER. He took over as the show runner of The West Wing after the departure of the show's creator Aaron Sorkin. He wrote the tenth season ER premiere "Now What?" and second episode "The Lost". The episodes continued to deal with Carter and Kovač's travels in Africa, particularly "The Lost" which featured Carter searching for a missing Kovač in the Congo. Wells also wrote mid-season episode "Makemba" which dealt with Carter beginning a relationship with the titular character, an AIDS worker. He wrote the penultimate episode "Midnight" which featured Carter's return to Chicago with a pregnant Makemba. Wells was again nominated for a Humanitas Prize, this time for his work on "Makemba". He developed a remake of 1966–1971 series Dark Shadows for the WB network during 2004 but the series was not picked up. Also in 2004 he was a producer for the film A Home at the End of the World and an executive producer for the film A Dirty Shame. In the 2004-2005 television season Wells remained an executive producer for the sixth and final season of Third Watch, the sixth season of The West Wing, the eleventh season of ER and the new series Johnny Zero. He remained the show runner for The West Wing. He continued to handle Carter's storylines for the eleventh season of ER and wrote the penultimate episode "Carter est Amoureux" and directed the finale "The Show Must Go On" which marked the departure of Noah Wyle (who played Carter) from the starring cast. Johnny Zero is an action-crime drama television series that aired on the Fox network January 14, 2005. It starred Franky G, GQ, and Brennan Hesser. It was cancelled after eight episodes. It was created by ER writer R. Scott Gemmill. In 2005 he was a producer for the films Doom and Duma (co-written by Flint) and an executive producer for the films The Notorious Bettie Page and Nearing Grace. He also executive produced the HBO television feature Mrs. Harris. In the 2005-2006 television season Wells was an executive producer for the seventh and final season of The West Wing, the twelfth season of ER and the midseason replacement The Evidence. He remained the show runner for The West Wing. For the twelfth season of ER Wells co-wrote the premiere episode "Canon City" with Lisa Zwerling and Joe Sachs. The Evidence is an American police procedural drama that debuted on March 22, 2006 on ABC. It was cancelled after eight episodes. He also created, developed and executive produced the un-aired pilot Prodigy/Bully. In 2006 he executive produced the film Infamous. In the 2006 to 2007 television season Wells was an executive producer for the thirteenth season of ER and new series Smith. He directed the thirteenth season ER episode "Jigsaw". Smith is an American television drama that premiered on September 16, 2006 on CBS. It was cancelled after three episodes, although seven were produced. Wells created the series and wrote the first three episodes. In 2007 he was an executive producer for the films An American Crime, Savage Grace, I'm Not There and Then She Found Me. In the 2007 to 2008 Wells served solely as an executive producer and director on the fourteenth season of ER. He directed the fourteenth season episode "300 Patients". He also executive produced the film Gigantic in 2008. He returned as a writer for the fifteenth and final season of ER in 2008 and wrote and directed the episode "Old Times" which featured the several past starring cast members including Noah Wyle, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, and Eriq La Salle. When ER ended in 2009, Wells had written 31 episodes, and directed 7. Southland During the 2008 to 2009 television season Wells developed Southland for NBC. The series was created by Ann Biderman. It follows detectives and patrol officers in the titular area of Los Angeles. Wells was credited as an executive producer for the first season. Wells' ER colleague Christopher Chulack was also an executive producer. Biderman was the third executive producer and the show runner. The first season aired as a mid-season replacement in Spring 2009. Wells returned as an executive producer for the second season in fall 2009 and co-wrote the season premiere "Phase Three" with Biderman. Biderman remained the show runner. NBC canceled the series while the second season was in production but the episodes were picked up and aired by TNT. TNT renewed the series for a third season and Wells remained an executive producer and writer. He took over as show runner. The budget was dramatically reduced and Biderman left her producer position but remained an executive consultant. He again co-wrote the season premiere "Let It Snow" with Biderman. He also wrote the teleplay for the season finale "Graduation Day" from a story by his ex-assistant Heather Zuhlke. TNT renewed the series for a fourth season. Wells remained the show runner and an executive producer. During Southland In 2009, Wells began work on an American adaptation of the British series Shameless for HBO. He was an executive producer for the films Motherhood and Cracks. In 2010 Wells made his theatrical directorial debut with the film drama The Company Men, starring Ben Affleck and Tommy Lee Jones. The film was scheduled for release in the fall of 2010 but premiered earlier at the Sundance film festival. After the Sundance screening, The Hollywood Reporter said, "Wells has made, for his first film, a tough movie and certainly not a commercial one. This displays the kind of guts he always brought to his television work, which one can only hope continues on in other future film projects." He also executive produced the television feature Gimme Shelter directed by Christopher Chulack and starring Michael Beach. Originally commissioned by HBO, Shameless moved to the competing network Showtime, where it debuted in January 2011. It starred William H. Macy as an alcoholic single father of six children. Wells had worked with Macy on ER and Mystery Dance. Shameless was the best performing first-year drama in Showtime's history and was renewed. In 2011 he was an executive producer on the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce. Shameless began airing its second season on January 8, 2012. Southland credits Writer Category: Producers Category: Writers Category:Crew